by S BIRRUNTHA/ pic by ARIF KARTONO

VISA Malaysia is aiming for about 70% of contactless payment services to be implemented across all payment terminals in the country by next year.

Its country manager Ng Kong Boon said the market for contactless payments has been showing a very strong growth in Malaysia.

“There are about 1,000 merchants using Visa wireless payments right now, with almost 30,000 payment terminals adopting the method in the local market.

“The service has shown tremendous performance in the country with over seven million transactions a month,” he told reporters after the launch of Visa’s joint venture with Cleanpro Express in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

According to Boon, there are over 30 million Visa card holders in Malaysia with 70% of them being debit cards holders.

“At Visa, we see a huge opportunity for cash displacement and our rule is to make payment simple and convenient for everyone everywhere.

“It shows double-digit growth each year and we are constantly looking at opportunities for potential partnerships to further improve the implementation of touchless payments in the country.

“At the same time, we are always growing out initiatives to ensure our customers are protected when they are using contactless payments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Visa has announced its partnership with Cleanpro Express, a pioneer in the laundry industry, to offer contactless payments at its self-service machines.

Boon said the contactless payment service will help Malaysians experience a more seamless checkout process with speedier service without having to fumble for cash.

“This is the first time in South-East Asia that we are introducing the Visa contactless acceptance for a laundromat chain, as it has been a heavily cash-based merchant.

“For the merchant, labour hours required to count the cash collected at the machines are significantly reduced and the staff can make better use of their time in managing their workload,” he said.

He also said the initiative is in line with Bank Negara Malaysia’s objective to increase the number of contactless payment terminals, besides educating the community on a cashless lifestyle.

Cleanpro Laundry Holdings Sdn Bhd group COO Lim Chee Kiang said the company has hit a milestone in bringing the first self-service laundromat chain in South-East Asia which adopts the contactless payment system.

“Through this initiative, not only will it enhance the customer experience to be more seamless and secured, but it will also bring enormous benefits to our business.

“We can save a lot of time and money, and improve productivity as our employees no longer need to handle so much cash.

“For customers, all it takes for them is to tap their card and mobile against the post terminal of the washer and dryer,” he said.

Cleanpro is currently working on an expansion of the contactless payment service to Singapore and Thailand in the coming years.

The company is targeting a 20% sales growth this year.

Starting today, users can use contactless payments at 300 Cleanpro Express laundry outlets across Malaysia including Aladin Dobi and iBu Sayang laundromat outlets.